Among the Atlanta Braves’ offseason priorities must be upgrading their depth for an injury-prone rotation.

While you never expect things to go as sideways as they did during the 2025 season, it is far from a hot take to point out the franchise was ill-prepared.

Elder finished the season as the Braves’ most consistent pitcher when it came to filling innings. However, this was all the veteran had proven himself good for finishing the season with an ERA of 5.30 and a long list of reasons for the Braves to make a change.

Near the top of this list is the fact that even when Elder was needed in an innings-eater role, you cannot count on the starter to make it past the first four innings. It seems that you’re either going to get a surprise gem or be down four runs in a blink.

There is no level of stability from a piece that the Braves need to move on from. It is time to turn the page on Elder and bring in superior depth pieces that give you a more consistent chance to win.

Braves Must Find Far More Reliable Depth Piece Than Struggling Elder

Atlanta’s potential 2026 rotation remains stacked with Reynaldo Lopez, Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep, and Spencer Schwellenbach.

You also have potential contributions from Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver, who are both recovering from elbow injuries. This makes it clear that neither pitcher should be relied on as depth in the 2025 season.

The Braves are one injury away from putting Elder right back into the rotation.

Driving home just how important it is to go out and sign additional depth in the coming weeks of the offseason.

Not only going out and adding depth, but finding a way to trade Elder and give the right-hander a fresh start in a new landing spot.

There is no excuse not to turn the page on Elder based on how the 2025 season played out.

When looking for potential free agent fits to replace Elder, the best path seems to be bringing in a veteran such as Justin Verlander, along with 2-3 other veteran arms looking to rebuild value.

This is how the franchise needs to approach the offseason. While the rotation appears to be locked into place, there is still plenty of work left to be done.

Elder can no longer be relied on as a depth piece if the Braves are serious about playing a winning brand of baseball.

There is no longer a fit for a pitcher who plainly is far too inconsistent to continue to employ as the Braves enter an offseason reset.